Clean Sweeps of Michigan's Blog

How to Turn your Inefficient Fireplace into an Efficient Alternative Heat Source

According to the National Association of Homebuilders fireplaces are one of the top three features new home buyers look for in a home. A warm, crackling fire is a welcoming and inviting addition to any living space during the cold months of winter. What many homeowners fair to realize, however, is that their fireplace may actually be losing more energy than it is creating.

As fireplaces and chimneys age, they may become more inefficient. As the warm air from a fire rises, cold air from outside can flow in, filling the room and negating the effects of the fire. Thankfully, there are several products available to homeowners to help improve the efficiency of their fireplaces, making them excellent sources of warmth all winter.

Fireplace inserts 

For many homeowners with traditional, wood burning fireplaces, a fireplace insert represents a low maintenance, high efficiency replacement option. Fireplace inserts are glass-fronted fireproof boxes that create a closed combustion system, trapping the hot air created by a fire before it can escape up a chimney. Inserts are able to efficiently heat a room, especially with the addition of a fireplace blower.

While fireplace inserts have traditionally been exclusively gas, they can now be powered by several different fuel sources including electricity, wood, pellets, or coal. This wider variety of choices gives homeowners the ability to choose an insert to better meet their needs. Although inserts are considered to be the most energy efficient choice for fireplaces, only inserts approved by the Environmental Protection Agency should be installed in residential homes. The EPA designation ensures that the fireplace insert has undergone rigorous testing regarding both its safety and efficiency.

Dampers 

Dampers, or the metal plate that separates a fireplace from the rest of the chimney, are designed to have a snug, airtight seal. Over time, dampers may lose their original seal, allowing cold air or moisture to enter a house through the chimney. Because they are exposed to both hot and cold air – as well as the elements – it is recommended that dampers should only be repaired or replaced by licensed professionals.

While closed dampers can prevent unwanted cold air from entering a room, dampers should always be left open when a fireplace is in use. Doing this prevents smoke and other harmful gasses from entering the home, allowing them to travel safely up the chimney instead.

Firebacks 

Sometimes seen as only decorative, firebacks are large metal pieces placed at the back of a firebox. The primary purpose of a fireback is to reflect heat back into the room, preventing warm air from travelling up the chimney and out of the room. In addition, firebacks protect the fireplace masonry from damage from long-term exposure to fire and heat. Because of the ease of installation and the number of different styles they are available in, adding a fireback is a fast and easy way to improve the efficiency of an existing fireplace without undertaking a major remodel.

Fireplace doors 

Professionally fitted fireplace doors are an attractive, decorative way to seal their fireplace when not in use. Like firebacks, fireplace doors are available in a number of different styles and finishes, giving homeowners the ability to choose a style that fits their décor and budget.

Similar to the damper, fireplace doors should always remain open while the fireplace is in use. The primary way they improve efficiency is through a combination of preventing cold air from entering and warm air from leaving when the fireplace is not in use.

Boosting Efficiency

For those of you who are interested in saving money during the winter months, improving your fireplace’s efficiency is an excellent way because you’ll need to burn less fuel to generate the necessary amount of heat. Your annual chimney inspection and sweeping may or may not be enough to improve efficiency to desired levels. Additionally, better efficiency from your fireplace usually means releasing fewer pollutants into the atmosphere, which in addition to reduced consumption, makes it an environmentally friendly choice that helps both the planet and your local air quality.

Be smart and save money! Find the best way to efficiently use your fireplace.

Some simple steps can be taken to improve your fireplace’s efficiency, allowing you to keep your living space warmer while burning less wood.

 Have a Chimney Damper

One of the first steps is reducing the amount of heat lost through the chimney when there is no fire burning. Ensuring that your damper is in good working condition and is sealing properly can best do this. Throat-mount dampers are found in more chimney systems, as they’ve been around longer; however, their top-sealing counterparts are becoming more popular since they more effectively seal off the chimney when the system is not in use.

Slightly Open a Window

An extremely simple step that can be taken to make your fireplace more efficient is to simply find the window nearest to the fireplace and open it a little bit. At the same time, if the fireplace is in a closed room like a den, you can close the doors to the rest of the house and keep all of the heat in that particular room. Having the window slightly open will allow the fireplace to draw cooler air from the outside if it needs to, rather than drawing in already heated air and losing much of that heat through the chimney.

Install an Air Intake

An even better step to improve fireplace efficiency, if you have the ability, is to install a special air intake next to the fire. This intake can pull air in directly from the outdoors, rather than having to pull it through the room from a nearby open window. This ensures greater efficiency by keeping warm air in the house where it belongs, and setting up a flow of warm air coming out of the fireplace into the house, rather than having the fireplace constantly sucking in warm air and losing it through the chimney.

Other Devices

Many devices can also be purchased to improve fireplace efficiency. A radiant fireplace grate, for example, holds the logs up off the ground of the fireplace, making sure more heat is disbursed out into the room, improving efficiency quite dramatically for a very small investment. Electric fans can also be purchased and installed in the form of grate blowers or tube heaters, which will constantly push hot air out into the room, decreasing the amount of heat lost through the chimney and improving overall fireplace performance.